*LRB09512618RAS37896r*

HR0577 LRB095 12618 RAS 37896 r

1 HOUSE RESOLUTION

2 WHEREAS, The State of honors Illinois veterans for 3 service in the United States Armed Services, the Illinois 4 National Guard, and the Illinois with grants and 5 scholarships to attend Illinois community colleges and public 6 universities; and

7 WHEREAS, The Illinois Veteran Grant Program pays eligible 8 tuition and certain fees for undergraduate study at any 9 Illinois community college or public university for Illinois 10 residents who qualify; a qualified applicant is any member of 11 the Armed Forces of the United States who has served at least 12 one year of active duty and whose separation from such service 13 has been characterized as honorable; and

14 WHEREAS, The and Naval Militia 15 Grant Program pays tuition and eligible fees at all Illinois 16 community colleges or public universities; a qualified 17 applicant must be on active status and have served for at least 18 one year in the Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval 19 Militia; and

20 WHEREAS, The MIA-POW Scholarship Program for dependents of 21 Illinois residents declared to be missing in action or 22 prisoners of war pays all tuition and fees at any Illinois -2-HR0577LRB095 12618 RAS 37896 r

1 community college or public university; and

2 WHEREAS, The Illinois Veteran Grant Program, the Illinois 3 National Guard and Naval Militia Grant Program, and the MIA-POW 4 Scholarship Program are all considered entitlement grants; 5 thus, if the General Assembly does not fully fund these 6 programs to cover all expenses, the community college or public 7 university must waive all tuition and fees on behalf of that 8 student; and

9 WHEREAS, Illinois community colleges and public 10 universities must raise tuition and fees in order to compensate 11 for unfunded mandates placed upon them by the Governor's 12 budget; and

13 WHEREAS, It is not fiscally responsible for the Governor to 14 increase government spending while other parts of the budget 15 continue to be underfunded; and

16 WHEREAS, The FY06 budget underfunded these veterans' 17 programs by $13.6 million; the FY07 shortfall is expected to 18 reach approximately $14.5 million; with the projected increase 19 in the number of veterans qualifying for these benefits, the 20 shortfall is expected to rise somewhere between $15 million and 21 $18 million in FY08; public institutions will have no recourse 22 but to further raise already inflated tuition and fee rates for -3-HR0577LRB095 12618 RAS 37896 r

1 all Illinois students to cover the increasing costs of such 2 programs; therefore, be it

3 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 4 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 5 the community colleges and public universities of the State of 6 Illinois are entitled to reimbursement for the costs incurred 7 in the administration of the Illinois Veteran Grant Program, 8 the Illinois National Guard and Naval Militia Grant Program, 9 and the MIA-POW Scholarship Program; and be it further

10 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly recommends that the 11 budget fully reimburse community colleges and public 12 universities for the costs incurred in the administration of 13 the Illinois Veteran Grant Program, the Illinois National Guard 14 and Naval Militia Grant Program, and the MIA-POW Scholarship 15 Program; and be it further

16 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly urges the quick passage 17 of House Bill 479, which creates the Appropriation for Military 18 Scholarships Act that provides that beginning with the budget 19 for Fiscal Year 2009, the Governor must include a General 20 Revenue Fund recommendation in the annual budget sufficient to 21 reimburse institutions of higher learning in this State for not 22 charging students tuition and fees under the Illinois Veterans 23 Grant Program, the Illinois National Guard and Naval Militia -4-HR0577LRB095 12618 RAS 37896 r

1 Grant Program, and the MIA-POW Scholarship Program; and be it 2 further

3 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be 4 delivered to the Governor, the Board of Higher Education, the 5 Illinois Community College Board, the president of each 6 community college of the State, and the president of each 7 public university of the State.